Indian-origin Arshdeep Singh Dang scripts history, becomes UK's first Sikh RAF fighter pilot since World War 2
PTC News Desk: Indian-origin Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang, 28, has scripted history after becoming first Sikh to graduate as a fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF), describing it first time when a Sikh attained wings from a fighter squadron since World War II.
28-year-old Dang joined the RAF in 2021. He passed his wings test in July, four years after graduating from Officer training in 2022 and undergoing rigorous Fast Jet training.
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He is the only Indian-origin pilot from his batch, and now also the first Sikh fighter pilot in British Air Force in 81 years.
Born in Chandigarh in 1998, Dang moved to the UK with his family when he was six. His father, Jagdeep Singh Dang, is from Ludhiana, while his mother, Gagandeep Kaur, is from Amritsar. The family lives in Southall, England.
In an interview, Dang said, his paternal grandfather, Sardar Santokh Singh Dang, had dreamed of seeing his father become a pilot but died when his father was six.
“It was my paternal grandfather Sardar Santokh Singh Dang’s dream that my father should be a pilot. But my grandfather died when my father was just 6. So my father never really had those opportunities or resources to fulfil his wish. My parents encouraged me, and I started to believe that I could be a pilot. And it happened,” he said.
Dang studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Bristol before joining officer training in February 2022. He completed his elementary flying training in 2023 and later served in Cyprus. In 2024, he was selected for the fast jet training programme.
He started advanced jet training in March 2025 and began basic fast jet training in July the same year. In October 2025, he was sent alone to Texas for further training and successfully passed his wings test in July 2026.
Dang will now undergo another year of intensive training before moving on to fly frontline fighter aircraft.
He credited his family and Sikh upbringing for supporting him throughout his journey. He said his parents always encouraged him and described his mother as his “pillar of strength”.
Dang also said his family still speaks Punjabi at home and regularly visits the gurdwara. He added that the Sikh principle of “chardi kalan”, which means staying positive and in high spirits, helped him overcome challenges during difficult flights.
- PTC NEWS
